The facilities and energy management sectors could benefit from a new government-backed initiative designed to strengthen the UK’s battery manufacturing and energy storage skills pipeline.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has launched the Battery Innovation Programme: Battery Skills Initiatives, with up to £3.7 million available to establish and expand regional battery training programmes across the UK.
Funded by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the initiative aims to address growing skills shortages across sectors including automotive, aerospace, energy storage, maritime and off-highway transport: industries playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s wider decarbonisation strategy.
The programme reflects the rapid expansion of battery technologies within buildings, infrastructure and energy systems. As organisations accelerate electrification strategies and integrate battery storage into estates and facilities operations, demand for specialist technical skills is expected to rise significantly.
The competition will support projects focused on both creating new training initiatives and scaling existing programmes. Funding will target qualifications ranging from Levels 2 to 5, with a strong emphasis on nationally accredited, commercially sustainable skills provision.
The programme is split into two strands: ‘Establish’, supporting new regional initiatives at Levels 2 to 3, and ‘Scale’, aimed at expanding existing battery skills programmes up to Level 5. Individual projects can apply for between £440,000 and £1.2 million in grant funding.
Industry leaders say the initiative is critical to ensuring the UK remains competitive as investment in battery technologies and energy storage accelerates globally.
The development highlights a broader challenge facing the sector: securing access to the skilled workforce needed to manage increasingly complex low-carbon infrastructure.
Battery systems are becoming more central to energy resilience strategies, particularly as organisations seek to balance renewable generation, EV charging demand and grid flexibility. This is creating new operational requirements around installation, maintenance, safety and optimisation.
The programme also reinforces the growing importance of regional collaboration between education providers, public sector organisations and industry to support future workforce needs.
Applications for the competition close on 18 June 2026, with Innovate UK encouraging collaborative projects that can address known skills gaps and support long-term sector growth.
Photo by Kumpan Electric on Unsplash
